Detroit, Michigan – August 24, 2010 – Last Thursday, Detroit Dome’s Gregg Newsom and Corktown Resident Travis Roberts Jr. unveiled plans for an off-grid geodesic dome greenhouse as part of the Soup at Spaulding micro-fundraising event. Soup at Spaulding draws a crowd to North Corktown’s Spaulding Court each Thursday to jump start neighborhood initiatives. Attendees enjoy soup and salad for a $5 donation while three local projects vie for the opportunity to team up with Spaulding Court for a joint fundraising campaign on the popular Kickstarter website (http://kickstarter.com). With a five-day deadline, Detroit Domes and Friends of Spaulding Court aim to raise and split $2000 that will help move both projects forward. Detroit Domes is a “seed program” of Detroit Evolution that actively promotes low cost, sustainable tools, techniques and concepts in Detroit.

The proposed GreenDome is a low cost geodesic dome greenhouse with a 35′ diameter footprint designed for year round off-grid growing. For this project Angela and Gregg Newsom of Detroit Evolution are teaming up with their neighbor, Travis Roberts Jr. “We moved in next to Travis about a year ago and have been inspired by his drive to provide fresh food for people in the neighborhood,” Gregg shared. “Part of Detroit Evolution’s mission is to increase Detroiter’s access to healthy food and we’re honored to team up with Travis, both to support his work and raise awareness of the potential of the “off the map” thinking and ideas that Geodesic Domes can inspire.”

Phase one of the GreenDome includes the fabrication and construction of the dome’s frame and the support, bolstering and expansion of the existing garden into an adjacent city-owned lot. Partner C3LL3C will assist in material acquisition, helping the GreenDome project to reclaim conduit, lumber and glass from fully deconstructed blighted buildings. Angela Newsom, who recently attended an Urban Permaculture Intensive and is a graduate of the Urban Roots Community Gardening Training Program, will provide support and collaborate with agricultural experts throughout the city to maximize the quality and productivity of the food grown. “Dome growing can increase production simply and efficiently,” Newsom adds. “We’ll have the opportunity to grow in the ground and by hanging planters from the ceiling.”

Striving for self-reliance, the GreenDome’s second phase, set to begin in October, will focus on collaboration and experimentation with Detroit local techies, makers and farmers to develop low-cost sustainable designs applicable in urban settings. Phase two projects include heating the dome with BTU’s from chickens, compost and low-cost geothermal, air circulation and filtration facilitated through wind collection and the development of a “winged” roof that increases surface area and will offer high volume rain catchment. The final phase of the project will enclose the dome before the winter months.

“We’re happy to team up with our neighbors at Spaulding Court to raise funds for the dome,” Roberts added. “We’re all working together so that we can provide fresh, high quality fruits, vegetables and eggs in our neighborhood.” The GreenDome project has been posted on the popular online funding application Kickstarter and hopes to raise $2000 in just five days. Potential online backers from around the world have until Saturday, August 28th at 8pm to help grow Detroit’s first geodesic dome greenhouse. Please visit Friends of Spaulding Court (http://www.spauldingcourt.com/tiki-index.php) and Detroit Domes (http://www.detroitdomes.org) for more information on these projects and visit the GreenDome Project Kickstarter page (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/236242112/detroit-dome-match) to make a contribution.

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About Detroit Evolution – Detroit Evolution promotes sustainable practices, social and environmental justice through Seed Programs: Detroit Abides, the Corktown Community Kitchen, People’s Yoga Detroit and Detroit Domes. In addition to offering healthy local catering we present workshops and community focused events that assist in and inspire the co-creation of a resilient and relocalized Detroit. http://detroitevolution.com

Just wanted to “officially” announce Detroit Domes here. The site is bare bones but tells a bit of the story. ~G

Welcome to my Noah Moment…
by Gregg

Thanks for visiting Detroit Domes. My wife Angela and I do a great deal of community work, so I want to properly define this as a personal project. Of course, like all our work it strives to connect to community, but right here, right now I’m wearing my “mad scientist” hat.

Many folk in the community have been supportive (many skeptical) but I know to move this forward I’m going to have to step up, share why it is that I’m practically haunted by domes, and inspire those who are up for a fun, educational, and possibly life changing experience, to get on board or support the work at hand in some way.

Like many kids my age I climbed on domes at the playground. I always found it a tad challenging to move with ease over them or to sit comfortably on them. In turn, I started hanging out IN them as I liked the way they “felt”. I was officially introduced to Geodesic Domes and R. Buckminster Fuller in my teens through Disney’s Epcot Center. I was inspired and encouraged as I learned more about Fuller’s life and work. Hitting puberty in the height of the cold war made a bright and glowing future rather unapproachable, but Bucky’s vision broke the clouds occasionally.

I attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale where Bucky taught for years. I fled to Carbondale as an escape from a bad run on the West Coast. I went there to chill and finish my supposedly long overdue bachelors degree in peace, but found myself in the midst of Domes, Alien Landing Strips, and all form of Mojo that seemed to be coming up some strange Mississippi undercurrent from New Orleans herself. I attended many a party in Bucky’s geodesic home in Carbondale. Good times, transformative times.

During my Burning Man years I helped create and build Geodesic Domes and came to realize their potential for what some call team building. Our desert domes turned into community spaces for impromptu theater, lectures, yoga, cooking and eating. They became self created public or Commons space, something we need a great deal more of for relocalization to take root in our cultures.

Through this site I’ll share more of my observations about domes and appropriate technology sustainability, Fuller’s other amazing tools and structures, and raise awareness of a few proposed Domes in Detroit. I thank you for spreading the word and getting involved if this strikes your fancy. Though it is rather personal, I know that it won’t take wings until it becomes part of the community. ~G

Come join the Friends of Spaulding Court this Thursday for Soup at Spaulding! Soup-maestro Hannah Lewis will be making sweet potato bisque (oh so tasty) with a green salad and bread from Avalon on the side. Don’t forget to bring your own spoon & bowl! After dinner, we’ll listen to presentations and fund an awesome project! $5, 7pm.

We’re pleased to be a part of one of the presenting groups. Travis and I will share the first public Detroit Domes project this Thursday, August 19th!

Detroit Domes is a new Seed Program of Detroit Evolution that actively promotes low cost, sustainable tools, techniques and concepts in Detroit. For this project we’re teaming up with our neighbor, Travis Roberts Jr, to design a structure that will extend his growing season. The proposed GrowDome is a low cost “greenhouse” dome with a 35′ footprint designed for year round off-grid growing. Striving for self-reliance, the dome will be heated with BTU’s from chickens, compost and low cost geothermal. Air circulation and filtration will be facilitated through wind collection. The domed and potentially “winged” roof will offer high volume rain catchment. We will also increase production by growing from and on the ceiling of the dome. It’s an exciting design and we hope it will be the first of many Detroit Domes to come. Please help us get this Dome off the ground at Spaulding Court this Thursday. Come out, enjoy the soup and VOTE DOME!

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